The Marquess’s Ward by Elizabeth Reed

Chapter 1
    ‘W hat do you think you are doing!?’
    Victoria turned slowly, with a shiver, in response to the deep, rich, but angry toned voice of the Marquess. She panicked, not knowing what to do. She had been caught red-handed!
    ‘I...I was just looking at something?’ She said the first thing that came into her head, but was annoyed at herself for not being able to come up with a more convincing lie!
    ‘You mean inspecting my family’s silver collection,’ he said sarcastically. Victoria had no doubt that he did not believe a word that she spoke. ‘And, pray tell, what is in the bag you are holding so tightly to you?’
    ‘What bag?’ Victoria’s mouth went dry.
    ‘That bag!’ He dragged the large brown bag roughly from her shoulder, not taking no for an answer.
    A silver candlestick fell out and landed on the ground with a loud thud! As the walls echoed, Victoria prayed for the ground to open up and swallow her, so she could disappear. She looked up into some very dark eyes that stared straight at her disapprovingly, after noting the other valuables that were in the bag that she had once been holding.
    ‘I am so sorry,’ she sputtered. ‘I needed the money! That is why I took those things! I would have paid you back...eventually!’
    ‘Paid me back? You would have needed to save up for many, many years till you could even think of replacing those valuables. I have a good mind to report you to the law courts! Perhaps a stay in jail for a period of time will teach you a good lesson!’
    ‘You wouldn’t....would you?’ Victoria’s bottom lip started to tremble as she looked up at the Marquess in shock, now realising the full extent of the possible consequences to her foolish actions.
    ‘Why do you need the money so badly that you resort to such a shameful action of robbing me blind in the middle of the night?’ The Marquess did not relieve any of Victoria’s fears as he further questioned her.
    ‘I...I...wanted to leave...I cannot stay here anymore!’
    ‘I don’t quite understand. Why are you saying that you cannot stay here anymore? Is there something I don’t know about? Is someone treating you badly? Do you not get enough food to eat, or appropriate clothing to wear?’
    ‘Yes. I want for nothing materially, and no one has directly mistreated me.’ Victoria found it hard to explain to the Marquess her predicament. She had everything she could want to survive: food, drink, clothing, a magnificent shelter over her head for comfort and protection, and perhaps this all should have been enough—but it wasn’t, not for her!
    She felt like a ghost in the Marquess’s grand house. No one said a bad word to her directly; everyone was always polite to her and well behaved, but neither did she receive a friendly or kind word. The servants stayed mostly to themselves, not knowing where to place her position within the household since her arrival but a month ago. And sometimes she even sensed that when her back was turned they gossiped about her, as if they knew the story behind her stay with the Marquess. That made her most uncomfortable!
    And the Marquess was not any more amicable towards her. On the one hand, she was relieved to find that he did not get involved in her day-to-day affairs, as he gave her freedom to manage her days. But what was the point of managing your days when you had nothing of importance to do?
    On the other hand, the Marquess did not try to hide from her that he had very little interest in her as a person and what she got up to. She often wondered if he felt annoyed somehow that he had been saddled with her against his will.
    She supposed that she should be grateful that he had even kept his word and followed through on his father’s request for him to look after her when he passed away. She knew that many men in his position wouldn’t have kept that promise. He had provided her with a magnificent shelter, but that was almost all that he provided her with. She could see that